Is it better to buy a cheap PC, then upgrade it, or buy a $1000 gaming PC rig?

I know it's better to build a PC, but I want a public opinion on if it's better to upgrade a cheap PC or buy an expensive gaming rig. I'm getting tired of answers saying build it when I have already addressed this in a comment.

Lawhaterate? You should just be happy I answered your question. NEITHER, build your pc so you know what's in it from company's you trust. :) It truely is the best way.( And the cheapest because when you buy a pc you pay for the build.)

Buy a 75$ fishing rod/reel combo and 25$ worth of tackle, go outside and do something worthwhile (fishing). (Tip, if you want video games, spend some of the 900$ you saved on a Super Nintendo and play some real games.)

Almost any PC that you buy pre-built is a load of $*@t. They give you lots of ram an a OK processor then chuck in a $50 graphics card and call it a gaming computer. The graphics card should be the most expensive thing in your computer if its for gaming. For $500 you can put together a PC for gaming that will rival the $1500 ones you buy at stores. If you need any suggestions pm me.

In a way I have. I suggested that you build a computer instead of buying one. Any PC that you buy pre-built will have the cheapest parts that the manufacturer thinks that they can get away with. Meaning you will get slow RAM, Integrated Graphics, or a horrible Graphics card if your lucky, a micro ATX motherboard and the cheapest case they can find. Basically what i said is that if you want to game you almost always NEED to put together your own computer. That way you can descide what brands to get and what to put your money into, chances are your computer will last longer that way because you bought new parts not 2+ year old parts.

If you still want to buy a prebuilt pc, get a bare bones, put a new graphics card in it. AND STAY AWAY FROM ALIEN WARE they are overpriced.

As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for."With a cheap, bare bones PC you usually get older and sometimes obsolete parts, often inferior to even the lowest priced new parts available today. The power supply unit is the smallest they can use to meet the demands of the PC. And even worse, if you are wanting to upgrade it into something more capable, you may be limited by the mobo that comes with the bare bones. Usually, they use a micro-ATX board which severely limits what you can add to the board.And the truth of the matter is, a $1000 gaming PC is going to be at the lower end of the scale , insofar as gaming rigs go.Best advice, build your own PC.

Your best bet is to figure out exactly what specs you need and then go shopping. Theoretically, the folks selling preconfigured machines can buy in bulk and get better prices than you can. On the other hand, they may charge you for the service of making the design decisions. On the other other hand, if you buy a machine you know all the drivers work (or know who to pester if they don't)...